Editing Tatting (section)

==History==
[[File:Lace instruction manual 1908-1917 Womens Museum.jpg|thumb|250px|right|{{center|Old catalog of samples on command. Top left sample is tatted lace.}}]]
Tatting may have developed from [[Net (textile)|netting]] and decorative ropework as [[sailor]]s and [[Fishing|fishermen]] would put together motifs for girlfriends and wives at home. Decorative ropework employed on ships includes techniques (esp. [[coxcombing]]) that show striking similarity with tatting. A good description of this can be found in ''Knots, Splices and Fancywork''.<ref>{{cite book | author=Spencer, Charles Louis | title=Knots, splices and fancy work | publisher=Kennedy Bros; 2nd edition | year=1935 }}</ref>

Some believe tatting originated over 200 years ago, often citing shuttles seen in 18th-century paintings of women such as [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]], [[Princess Marie Adélaïde of France]], and [[Anne van Keppel, Countess of Albemarle|Anne, Countess of Albemarle]]. A close inspection of those paintings, however, shows that the shuttles in question are too large to be tatting shuttles, and that they are actually knotting shuttles. There is no documentation of or examples of tatted lace that dates prior to 1800. All available evidence shows that tatting originated in the early 19th century.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Tatting|last=Palmer|first=Pam|date=2008-03-04|publisher=Shire|isbn=9780747803126|location=Princes Risborough England|language=en}}</ref> However, recent research by Cary Karp demonstrates some potential connections between the two fiber arts. According to Karp, "Knotting and tatting did appear sequentially in the historical record and can reasonably be regarded separately...the demarcation between the structures that characterise knotting, and the central elements of tatting, was not as clear cut as is often maintained."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Karp|first=Cary|title=Knotting and Tatting: The Dual Role of the Shuttle as a Fashion Accessory and Instrument of Decoration|journal=Journal of Dress History|volume=5|pages=8–47}}</ref>

{{cn-span|date=January 2023|As most [[list of fashion magazines|fashion magazines]] and [[Family and consumer science|home economics]] magazines from the first half of the 20th century attest, tatting had a substantial following. When fashion included feminine touches such as lace collars and cuffs, and inexpensive yet nice [[baby shower]] gifts were needed, this creative art flourished. As the fashion moved to a more modern look and technology made lace an easy and inexpensive commodity to purchase, hand-made lace began to decline.}}

Tatting has been used in occupational therapy to keep convalescent patients' hands and minds active during recovery, as documented, for example, in [[Betty MacDonald]]'s ''The Plague & I''.{{cn|date=January 2023}}

Workshops and competitions in tatting continue to be available from lace guilds and organizations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lace lovers unite in Iowa |url=https://www.thegazette.com/news/lace-lovers-unite-in-iowa/ |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=www.thegazette.com |language=en-US}}</ref>